What to write down after meeting someone

A short note can help you remember a person you want to see again or follow through on something you promised. Write the part you are likely to forget while the conversation is fresh.

What should you write after meeting someone? Save their name and a few words that will bring back the conversation: where you met, what you talked about or why you want to stay in touch. Add a task only if you agreed to do something. “Cameron, venue-access workshop. Organises community events. Email our checklist Tuesday” is enough.

Start with the detail you want to remember

The useful detail depends on why you are making the note. After a work call, it might be who is handling the next part of a project. After a conversation at a group, it might be the topic you would like to ask about next time. If you offered to send a link, the link and the person's contact details may be all you need.

Practitioner Frank Buck describes keeping dated conversation notes that he can return to later. The examples below use shorter notes for different situations.

Here are three fictional notes:

After a work call

Linh Tran, Tuesday's website handover. Handles the search tests. Send her the revised page by Thursday.

This keeps the person, the shared work and your next action together. Put the deadline in your usual task list if that is where you will notice it.

After a recurring group

Otis, Sunday community garden. Showed me where the spare tools are kept. Growing tomatoes on his balcony.

There is no follow-up task here. The note gives you a way to place Otis and a subject you could return to if you speak again.

After an event

Cameron, Friday's venue-access workshop. We talked about finding spaces for community events. Email our access checklist Tuesday.

The first name and shared topic may be enough to remember the encounter. The promised checklist gives you a clear next step.

Use a template if it saves you time

If you prefer labels, these cover the same information:

Name:
Where we met:
What I want to remember:
Follow-up, if any:

Skip anything that adds no useful information. “Otis, Sunday garden, balcony tomatoes” may do the job without four separate lines. A longer conversation may need a little more context. Choose words you will recognise later rather than trying to capture everything said.

If you already exchanged messages, add a reminder there or beside the saved contact. Use your workplace's normal system for work notes.

Write it when there is a natural pause

After saying goodbye, take a moment to save the detail before you forget it. A notebook or your usual notes app is enough. If you are still talking, you can ask: “Do you mind if I make a note of that link?” Otherwise, keep listening and write afterwards.

If the name has already gone

You can still save what you remember about the conversation. If you exchanged details, their message or contact card may supply the name. At the next meeting, ask directly: “We talked about the garden last Sunday. Could you remind me of your name?” The forgotten-name guide has more examples.

Read the note when it becomes useful

Before the next meeting, glance at the name and the subject you discussed. You can then pick up the conversation: “How are the balcony tomatoes doing?” Use the reminder to listen and respond to the person, rather than work through every detail you wrote down.

If you promised a checklist, send it. Include enough context for the other person to place you too: “Hi Cameron, it's Ellis from Friday's workshop. Here's the access checklist we discussed.” UCSF's networking guidance also distinguishes between conversations worth following up and ones that can end there.

A useful note has done its job when it helps you remember the person or do what you said you would.